HISTORY OF EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS AND BAPTISTS
The penetration of baptism and evangelical Christianity from the West to Russia begins in the middle of eighteen hundreds. In1855 baptists appeared in Finland, in 1860 - in Latvia. Modern followers of evangelical baptist brotherhood consider August 20, 1867 as its birthday, because it is on that day that N.I. Voronin, eventually one of the most ardent baptist preachers, was baptised in the Kura river in Tbilisi.
In eighteen sixties and seventies baptism spreads itself among Russian and Ukrainian population, mostly peasants, in the Ukraine, in the Caucasus and along the Volga river.
In 1884 the Union of Russian baptists was established. In 1884 in St.-Petersburg an English lord G. Redstock and his follower V.A. Pashkov, a retired colonel, began their mission. Thanks to their efforts evangelical Christian ideas were spread among St.-Petersburg aristocracy.
By 1912, there were around 115 thousand baptists and 31 thousand evangelical Christians in the Russian Empire. The attempts made back then to unite the two related movements did not yield any significant result.
Russian Orthodox Church supported by the State did everything humanly possible to combat baptists and evangelical Christians perceiving them as a threat to the unlimited spiritual reign of Orthodoxy. The situation was somewhat relieved after the Manifesto of October 17, 1905, proclaiming religious tolerance, was adopted.
After the February and then October ’17 Revolutions, especially during the period of “New Economic Policy”, the conditions for baptist and evangelical worshippers were quite favorable. The number of churches and believers was soaring (up to 500 thousand believers in 1927). It was then that the Federal Union of Baptists was created.
However, as soon as 1928 persecution started. The Union of Baptists was dissolved, its leaders, preachers and ordinary believers being subjected to repression. Only in 1943-44 were the churches allowed again, and in 1944, as a result of the unification of baptists and evangelical Christians the All Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists was created. In 1961 a group of believers seceded from the Union, to establish later on the Council of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches
PAVLOV Vasily Gurevich (1854-1924) The talented Russian nugget, V. Pavlov represented the unique phenomenon in history of Christianity and world culture. Its numerous talents were brightly showed in many areas. To the Christian world of the East and Paul's West it is known as the missionary, the preacher, the seminary student, the historian, the scientist-linguist and the public figure. His steps have passed on cities and settlements of Caucasus, Ukraine, the Central Russia, Siberia and the Far East where it has based set of communities. The trailblazer of the Gospel locked in prisons, sent in references, but no forces could stop service of the preacher. In editions, such as "Conversation", "The Brotherly help", "Baptist", "The Word of True", "Christian", Paul published the compositions of beliefs teaching, theological and church-historical character. Having studied in total 25 languages, Paul has used this knowledge on business of distribution of Kingdom of the Lord
PROKHANOV Ivan Stepanovich (1869-1935) The spiritual writer, the preacher, the seminary student, it visited many communities, preached on many evangelical divine services. The big efforts have been directed on the organization of gospel, and also on development of spiritual formation in the born evangelical brotherhood. I.S. Prokhanov has developed the concept Russian Christian evangelical songs and music, has written and has transferred more than 1000 hymns including in 11 collections of spiritual songs: "Psaltery", "Timpani", "David's Pipe", "New tunes", "Songs of the first Christians", etc. Later and now this general collection of spiritual songs began to refer to Songs of Revival. Prokhanov's publishing amazes with the extensiveness. First of all it is a monthly the "Christian", one of the best Protestant magazines in the world, a weekly journal "the Morning star", a monthly journal "the Brotherly leaf", a monthly for children "Children's freedom", the weekly edition of a sacred music and songs "New melodies". I.S. Prokhanov has stated principles of belief in clause "the STATEMENT of EVANGELICAL BELIEF, or DOGMA of EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS" made in 1910.
The penetration of baptism and evangelical Christianity from the West to Russia begins in the middle of eighteen hundreds. In1855 baptists appeared in Finland, in 1860 - in Latvia. Modern followers of evangelical baptist brotherhood consider August 20, 1867 as its birthday, because it is on that day that N.I. Voronin, eventually one of the most ardent baptist preachers, was baptised in the Kura river in Tbilisi.
In eighteen sixties and seventies baptism spreads itself among Russian and Ukrainian population, mostly peasants, in the Ukraine, in the Caucasus and along the Volga river.
In 1884 the Union of Russian baptists was established. In 1884 in St.-Petersburg an English lord G. Redstock and his follower V.A. Pashkov, a retired colonel, began their mission. Thanks to their efforts evangelical Christian ideas were spread among St.-Petersburg aristocracy.
By 1912, there were around 115 thousand baptists and 31 thousand evangelical Christians in the Russian Empire. The attempts made back then to unite the two related movements did not yield any significant result.
Russian Orthodox Church supported by the State did everything humanly possible to combat baptists and evangelical Christians perceiving them as a threat to the unlimited spiritual reign of Orthodoxy. The situation was somewhat relieved after the Manifesto of October 17, 1905, proclaiming religious tolerance, was adopted.
After the February and then October ’17 Revolutions, especially during the period of “New Economic Policy”, the conditions for baptist and evangelical worshippers were quite favorable. The number of churches and believers was soaring (up to 500 thousand believers in 1927). It was then that the Federal Union of Baptists was created.
However, as soon as 1928 persecution started. The Union of Baptists was dissolved, its leaders, preachers and ordinary believers being subjected to repression. Only in 1943-44 were the churches allowed again, and in 1944, as a result of the unification of baptists and evangelical Christians the All Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists was created. In 1961 a group of believers seceded from the Union, to establish later on the Council of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches
Leaders of Baptist Movement
The first World congress of Baptists has taken place in July, 1905 in London. For participation in the congress there have arrived representatives from twenty three countries of the world. Attendants of churches of Europe, Southern and Northern America, extensive British Empire, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand have gathered. Delegates have taken part in work of the congress from our country. They are brothers V.G. Paul, D.I. Mazaev, V.V. Ivanov and others. Opening the congress, the President pastor Alexander Maklaren has told, that organizers of the World congress of Baptists after prayful discussion have unanimously decided to offer all congress the following: for the certifications on the ground and for definition of a place of Baptists in it, for expression of their belief and an explanation of misunderstanding in attitudes with other creeds it is necessary to declare continuity of Church of the Christ before all world, that Baptists deeply believe and support all that is expressed in the Apostolic creed. All congress has expressed a unanimous consent with it. All going have risen and have solemnly repeated for the President in many languages the Apostolic creed. "It was especially exciting moment of the first congress uniting all", - its participants testified subsequently. For the certificate to the world about the belief, for expression of spiritual unity of all Baptists of the world by the first solemn certificate on the congress there was a joint reading the Apostolic creed. Keeping traditions of First-apostolic Church and sources of Christianity, dogmas of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of all world are made by way of a statement of the Apostolic creed.PAVLOV Vasily Gurevich (1854-1924) The talented Russian nugget, V. Pavlov represented the unique phenomenon in history of Christianity and world culture. Its numerous talents were brightly showed in many areas. To the Christian world of the East and Paul's West it is known as the missionary, the preacher, the seminary student, the historian, the scientist-linguist and the public figure. His steps have passed on cities and settlements of Caucasus, Ukraine, the Central Russia, Siberia and the Far East where it has based set of communities. The trailblazer of the Gospel locked in prisons, sent in references, but no forces could stop service of the preacher. In editions, such as "Conversation", "The Brotherly help", "Baptist", "The Word of True", "Christian", Paul published the compositions of beliefs teaching, theological and church-historical character. Having studied in total 25 languages, Paul has used this knowledge on business of distribution of Kingdom of the Lord
PROKHANOV Ivan Stepanovich (1869-1935) The spiritual writer, the preacher, the seminary student, it visited many communities, preached on many evangelical divine services. The big efforts have been directed on the organization of gospel, and also on development of spiritual formation in the born evangelical brotherhood. I.S. Prokhanov has developed the concept Russian Christian evangelical songs and music, has written and has transferred more than 1000 hymns including in 11 collections of spiritual songs: "Psaltery", "Timpani", "David's Pipe", "New tunes", "Songs of the first Christians", etc. Later and now this general collection of spiritual songs began to refer to Songs of Revival. Prokhanov's publishing amazes with the extensiveness. First of all it is a monthly the "Christian", one of the best Protestant magazines in the world, a weekly journal "the Morning star", a monthly journal "the Brotherly leaf", a monthly for children "Children's freedom", the weekly edition of a sacred music and songs "New melodies". I.S. Prokhanov has stated principles of belief in clause "the STATEMENT of EVANGELICAL BELIEF, or DOGMA of EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS" made in 1910.
